By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Sept 5: The much-anticipated Jom Heboh Carnival has returned to Celebration Square, Petra Jaya with more than 100 kiosks and exhibition booths showcasing food, crafts, banking services and even free health check-ups—all set to run over three days starting today until Sunday (Sept 7).
The highlight of the carnival will be a grand concert on Sunday night featuring popular Malaysian artistes including Sarawak’s own Dayang Nurfaizah, alongside other crowd-pulling activities for visitors of all ages.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who visited the site today, described the carnival as a “one-stop centre” for families and the community.
“Families can bring their children, grandchildren, husbands and wives here.
“You can eat, get health checks, learn about banking services, even open an account with Affin Bank. It’s all here in one place,” he said.
Abdul Karim, who is also the Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, stressed that Jom Heboh not only entertains but also helps drive the tourism and hospitality industries while giving small entrepreneurs a boost.
“With the huge crowd, sales will increase and this indirectly helps the economy. It’s like sugar attracting ants—when there’s an event, people will come. And when people come, businesses benefit,” he explained.
He also noted the wide variety of food stalls, especially fusion cuisine popular among young people, saying such offerings create positive spillover effects on the food industry and entrepreneurship.
He further encouraged Kuchingites as well as visitors from Samarahan, Bau and Lundu to make the most of the carnival.
“Instead of loitering elsewhere, come here. This is where you can learn and discover new things—from banking and entrepreneurship to entertainment and music,” he said.
He also thanked Media Prima and TV3 for organising the event, which includes both entertainment and religious programmes in conjunction with Maulidur Rasul. – DayakDaily
